Special Guest: Kathy Wieland
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesBill Edwards is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Ann Arbor, MI. He’s known for his thoughtful, moving and sometimes hilarious songs, supported by his fine voice and excellent guitar playing. You’d probably call his style “rootsy”, ranging from classic country to acoustic rock, with an emphasis on well-crafted lyrics.
With I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, his debut for Saddle Creek, Dean Johnson makes a pact with the listener: He will sing you his truth in the most heartfelt and charming way possible, if you promise to keep an open mind. Johnson spent years tending bar at Al’s Tavern in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood. There, he encountered folks of all stripes; and regulars enthusiastically murmured about his budding musical greatness — There’s the best songwriter in town! Johnson was a kind of local lore, a long-held family secret, before the singer finally broke out in 2023 with his debut album, Nothing For Me Please, at age 50.
For 35 years, California Guitar Trio (CGT) has redefined what a small ensemble can achieve on one stage. Since forming in 1991, the group has captivated audiences with a singular sound that fearlessly crisscrosses genres — blending rock, jazz, classical, and global influences, with the occasional surf or spaghetti Western twist for good measure.
An evening with Herb Alpert and his brand new Tijuana Brass! Herb along with his 6 great musicians, Bill Cantos (piano & marimba), Kerry Marx (guitar), Ryan Dragon (trombone), Kris Bergh (trumpet), Ray Brinker (Drums) and Hussain Jiffry (bass), will be playing all of your favorite TJB hit songs just as you remember hearing them while growing up.
Hailing from Kennett, Missouri, David Nail is well-respected up and down Music Row. Some might even call him a “tour de force” as his songs pull no punches in evoking the demons with which he has wrestled through much of his life.
In 2016, Laith Al-Saadi won America’s hearts and a spot in the Season 10 finale of NBC’s “The Voice.” Now he’s bringing an authentic blend of blues, soul and classic rock to audiences around the nation and the world. Laith Al-Saadi has always had the perfect combination of Midwestern hustle and incredible musical chops—honed at the University of Michigan school of music in his hometown of Ann Arbor, and on stages across the country working with legends like Taj Mahal, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, Son Seals, Gregg Allman, and B.B. King.
Special Guest: Madeleine Roger
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesThe Bros. Landreth are two-time JUNO Award winners from Winnipeg, known for their blend of guitar-driven, soulful, blood harmony roots music. The band, the core of which consists of brothers Dave and Joey Landreth, has earned critical acclaim and a dedicated audience for their heartfelt songs, inventive musicianship, and powerful performances.
Special Guest: Jon Muq
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesForged through the extreme highs and lows that come with living, Time Will Tell is the album that Devon Gilfillian has been preparing to make his entire life. His third studio album was recorded in Nashville's legendary RCA Studio A, live to tape on varispeed, with mostly single vocal takes.
Gilfillian wrote and produced with a mighty team including longtime drummer and friend Jonathan Smalt and Neal H Pogue (Tyler the Creator, OutKast) as executive producer. Gilfillian carries soul track to track through a sonic journey of rock, funk, and country elements, magnetically vulnerable about his own failure and frailty.
No end is ever easy, and what else is there in life than to go through? To get to where we're going, we've got to suffer a little. Time Will Tell is the sound of Gilfillian doing just that while realizing what a blessing it is to be here at all.
Paula Cole returns to the stage with THIS FIRE: 30—a special anniversary tour celebrating three decades of This Fire. A Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for her fearless writing and genre-blending sound, Cole broke boundaries with songs that were both deeply personal and universally resonant.
A singer-songwriter known for his lyrical acumen and plaintive harmonica style, Joe Pug dropped out of college and moved to Chicago where he worked as a carpenter before breaking into the city’s music scene. Soon before Willie Watson turned 18, he met God in an apple orchard. Or at the very least, he met there a man named Ruby Love, the older friend of a high-school buddy who had an enormous Martin guitar and a seemingly bigger understanding of the American folk songbook. He never saw Ruby Love again, but within months of that foundational 1997 rendezvous, he met the musicians with whom he’d soon start Old Crow Medicine Show. Call it revelation, fate, resurrection, whatever you will; for Watson, more than a quarter-century later, it was a duet with the divine.
Fiercely independent, Nashville-based recording artist, Ron Pope, carved his niche in the digital era's early days with his breakout hit, "A Drop in the Ocean,” which has amassed over 1 billion streams, earning platinum status in the US, alongside double platinum status in Sweden. His prolific songwriting is a natural fit for Music City’s Americana, roots, and country communities, garnering praise from publications such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, CMT, Relix, and The Tennessean.
Throughout his 30+ year career, Tyminski has left his mark in every corner of modern music. His voice famously accompanies George Clooney’s performance of the Stanley Brothers’ classic song, “I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow,” in the film, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and his diverse solo projects and years of work with Alison Krauss and Union Station have yielded troves of award-winning music. In recent years, Tyminski’s live shows with the Dan Tyminski Band have become bluegrass fan favorites and are regularly on the must-see lists among music fans of any genre.